The investigation of the UN weapons team sent to Syria has been cut short by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, in light of news that a US-led air strike on the country could take place "in a matter of days". The team, which was investigating an alleged chemical attack in a town near Syria's capital, Damascus, is expected to return on Saturday. According to the Guardian, Ban announced that the team would report their findings immediately after leaving.

The US government will today release declassified information said to confirm that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was behind the chemical attack.

Meanwhile, French President François Hollande today said that France would be prepared to back US action in Syria. He told French newspaper Le Monde today that if the 21 August attacks remain unpunished, "it would be taking the risk of an escalation that would normalize the use of these weapons and threaten other countries.”

The 1925 Geneva Convention first banned the usage of chemical weapons.